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Classical conditioning of oxidative DNA damage in rats
1Department of Mental Health, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan. m-irie@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Neuroscience Letters
|June 28, 2000
Summary
Classical conditioning can induce oxidative DNA damage, specifically 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), in rats. This suggests the central nervous system and psychological stress may play a role in cancer initiation through DNA damage.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Toxicology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Oxidative DNA damage, such as 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), is linked to cancer initiation.
- The central nervous system's (CNS) role in cancer pathogenesis, particularly via psychological stress, is not fully understood.
- Classical conditioning offers a potential mechanism to explore CNS influence on biological processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if oxidative DNA damage (8-OH-dG) can be classically conditioned to a novel taste.
- To explore the role of the CNS and psychological stress in cancer initiation through classical conditioning.
Main Methods:
- Male Wistar rats were subjected to conditioned taste aversion (CTA) experiments.
- Ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA), a renal toxin, served as the unconditioned stimulus (US).
- Saccharin solution (SAC) was used as the conditioned stimulus (CS).
Main Results:
- Conditioned rats exposed to both SAC and Fe-NTA showed significantly increased 8-OH-dG levels after two conditioning trials (P=0.013).
- Rats experiencing pain during Fe-NTA administration exhibited higher 8-OH-dG levels than those without pain (P=0.003).
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of classically conditioning oxidative DNA damage using CTA.
- Findings suggest the CNS and psychological stress contribute to cancer pathogenesis via oxidative DNA damage.